For the Love of a Friend
by Sheikah Ninja
Summary: Sheik has had enough of Zelda's controlling and the pain that he has to go throught. No pairing, angst and self-harm. Deathfic.
1. Tired of the Fight

**This is a rewrite of In The End for my brother. There will be no boy love in it. He liked the other but would have preferred it strait.**

"Dialog"

_Thought_

**Flashback**

* * *

Standing next to the edge of the cliff, Sheik looked down into the river. The bridge that the Gerudo broke was fixed but Sheik didn't use it. The wind picked up and whipped the bandages that were usually on his wrists, now hanging loose, around.

The river below rushed by, the rains that came in the winter causing it to flood. Lightning flashed in his eyes as thunder rolled thought the hills, threatening a storm. Continuing to look down into the river, Sheik extracted a dagger from the top of his boot.

Tearing his eyes away from the river, he looked down at his exposed wrists. Small light colored scares ran horizontally across them. Some long, some short. Trailing the tip of his dagger across the scares, he smiled as he remembered why they were there.

Sheikah weren't supposed to show emotion. They are supposed to be "passive". No emotion was to show. That took a toll on him. Hate, anger, fear. It all built up inside of him as he followed the Hero and helped him. Later on love, friendship and caring found their way in.

Each time he passed a burnt out village or a pile of corpses it angered him. But he wasn't allowed to show it. So he took it out on himself. A little nick here or there. Once or twice a broken hand. No one knew. The Hero might have guessed when he showed up to teach him the Serenade of Water. Or maybe he thought that it was from a fight. Either way Sheik didn't care. It was the only way he could deal with everything he saw and did. How could you forget the look on a man's face when you killed him? Or on a child's when you tell them that their parents are dead or can't be found. You can't and this is how Sheik dealt with the pain and suffering that the war caused.

Smiling, Sheik drew the dagger down his wrists again. Not horizontally across but from elbow to hand. It was a deep cut. Not meant to deal with something but to end it. The first drops of blood hit the ground with the first drops of rain. Thinking, he remembered what finally drove him to just end it all.

**He rushed into Zelda's room, slightly out of breath from the few flights of stairs that lead there. Catching his breath, he panted to Zelda, "Please, you've got to let me help him. I can't take seeing a friend have to suffer that much and not be able to help."**

"**So he has completed the Shadow temple? Good. Now just one more temple and then he will be able to destroy Gannon. No Sheik, you are not allowed to help him. It would alter the prophecy. So it is forbidden."**

"**Screw the prophesy. He is my friend and I want to help him. You have no idea about the horrors that you have to face in the Shadow Temple. It is the Sheikah burial grounds. It is protected by their spirits and they do not welcome intruders. Please, allow me to help in the last temple and I will leave you alone about everything else. I don't care if you make me disappear in the end. I will have helped my friend. Please Zelda, let me help him."**

"**No Sheik, you are not allowed to help him. I don't care what you have to say. You are not allowed so you shall not." **

**Sheik looked at Zelda. "If I can't help him, then no one can help me." He turned and left before Zelda could comprehend what he was saying. **

_**Why would anyone need to help you?**_

"Zelda I need to know where he is. I need to talk to him."

"Well Link, I don't know where he is. Last I saw of him, he was in here talking to me. I wouldn't let him do something and he left after saying one of his cryptic responses."

"Well where did he go? I didn't see him after I arrived at the Spirit Temple. I had to find to warping song myself. Now that aint easy."

"He didn't show up? Now that is not like him at all. I really have no idea where he is. You might want to try any place that he enjoyed visiting."

"I think I might know where he is."

Running out of the palace, he jumped onto Epona and took off towards Gerudo valley._ He always did love sitting on the cliff above the water. I stumbled upon him many times. It also is on the way to the Spirit Temple._ Crossing the log bride he pulled Epona up when he saw a figure standing out against the sky. He knew it was Sheik right away. Jumping off Epona, he took a deep breath before approaching Sheik.

Walking slowly, he approached Sheik. "Sheik, are you ok? I need to talk to you."

"No Link, I'm not ok. I'm farthest from it."

Coming up to stand next to him, Link looked at Sheik's face. His cowl was down, exposing a sad face and mouth. His cheeks were red as well were his eyes. Well, redder that usually, caused by the tears that still spilled out and slid down his cheeks.

"What's the matter Sheik?" Link grabbed his shoulder to turn Sheik to look at him but the lithe Sheikah pulled out of his grip. His movements seemed weak and sluggish.

Redoubling his efforts to force Sheik to look at him, Link grabbed his wrists. But it slipped out of his hand. Looking at the back of Sheik's arms, he saw that the bandages that usually concealed them were loose and blowing in the wind. Taking another look at Sheik's face, he saw that the turban that he wore was also gone. His shoulder length hair was whipping in the wind.

Reaching for his Sheik's wrists again, he saw something red dripping off of his own hands. He was appalled to find that they were covered in blood. Taking hold of both of Sheik's wrists, Link turned the smaller man towards him.

Looking at both of the exposed forearms, he saw multiple gashes running down them. "What have you done to yourself?" was all Link was able to whisper.

Sheik ripped his arms out of Link's grasp. "The only thing I can do Link. I can't help anyone. No one will acknowledge me when I go into town. No one even knows I exist any more. I can't even help my friend."

Link pulled Sheik close to him, trying to calm him down so he could stem the flow of blood coming from the self inflicted wounds on his arms. "Why can't you help your friend? And who is your friend? I never knew you had one."

Sheik sniffed into Link's shoulder. "You are so dense sometimes. That is why I tried to convince Zelda to let me help you. But she says I can't. I am not allowed to. So I told her if I couldn't help you then no one could help me. I don't think that she understood."

"But I do. I know how you feel." Sitting down, he cradled Sheik in his lap like a child.

"You shouldn't have to face something like the Shadow temple by yourself. You're only 17. And that place is a nightmare."

"Yes but you are only 16 and should not have to face many of the thing that you do. I'm not going to stop you from what you are trying. I am just going to be here for you. To let you know that you do have a friend. A friend who appreciates you and loves you. You deserve your rest. I'm not going to take it away from you."

"No, you should not have to sit here and watch me die. You should defeat Gannon and restore things to the way that they were before the war."

"Sheik, if there is one thing that I have learned from all of this is that you do not leave a friend when he is in need. The time it will take for you to reach peace is no inconvenience. I couldn't see a better way to spend it than with a friend. Now just close your eyes and take what you should have had a long time ago." Link pulled Sheik close to him and rocked him genteelly, not wanting him to feel alone in this last time that they would spend together. The rain continued to fall as Sheik slipped in and out of consciousness. Link didn't go anywhere, simply just sat with his friend, talking about nothing in particular, just talking to comfort Sheik as he slowly faded.

It was a little under an hour later when he realized that Sheik had stopped breathing. He glanced down at the younger boy's face and saw that it was peaceful. Not smiling but just peaceful. Link slowly got to his feet, carrying the body of his friend back to his horse. He set the body in the saddle in front of him and mounted carefully, not wanting to cause it to fall. He turned Epona back towards where Zelda was hiding and set off at a slow walk.

It took longer at the slow gait but they finally arrived at the small village that was Zelda's hiding place. Stopping in front of the house that Zelda was staying at, he dismounted and pulled down the body of his guide and friend. Cradling it in his arms he walked into the house and up the stairs to Zelda's room. When he pushed the door open, Zelda began to speak.

"Ah, good you have found him. Where was h—" she was cut off when she turned around to see that Link wasn't with Sheik but carrying him. "What is the matter? Is he ok?" she looked at him as Link carefully laid him down on her bed. He didn't care that the blood off of his own cloths or Sheik's stained the covers.

"He is now in peace. He was at Gerudo Valley."

"At peace? What do you mean?"

"He's dead Zelda. He killed himself to get away from the pain and torture that he had to endure. I guess the last straw was not being able to help me."

"Dead? But how?"

"I told you; he killed himself."

"Why?"

"That is why. You don't listen and he was tired of it. Now protect his body while I—"

Link didn't get to finish before a crystal prism formed around Zelda and she was taken to Gannon's castle. Link sighed and fallowed after, going to kill the evil king and save to princess. Maybe then he would be able to burry his friend.

**There will be another chapter after this one. I just didn't want it to end there. So wait and I might get it up soon. Hope you liked it and please review.**


	2. Epilogue: Still My Friend

**Ok, this is after Link has defeated Gannon. There is no time rest and it is a few months later.**

Link was walking in the graveyard. He looked up at the Shadow Temple where Sheik's body was buried. He never visited the actually grave but one that was in the middle of Hyrule Field. Walking out of the graveyard, he proceeded to the stairs that lead down to the field.

Enjoying the sun, he slowly made his way to the little marker set under the tree on top of the hill over looking the River. Kneeling down next to it, he traced to inscription that he had read hundreds of times.

_Here lies the memory of one that was never mentioned, never acknowledged, nor ever thanked._

_Here lies Sheik of the Sheikahs._

_Last survivor and true friend._

He still was sad that his friend had died. He didn't talk to Zelda much any more. Most of his free time was spent fishing or ridding Epona. But every day he made it a habit to come and talk to Sheik as they had when he was alive. This had been one of his favorite spots to sit and play.

Link pulled out his ocarina and began to play. He just played notes that seemed to flow together. No real tune just a string of notes, trailing off into the wind. And under the sound of his own notes, Link was certain that he could hear the soft notes of a lyre playing along with him, just as it had many months ago.

**Ok I know that it is short but it was just a little thing that I added at the end to show that he still is Link's friend, even in death. I hope that you liked it. Please review.**


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